1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to musical instrument supports, and more particularly to a stand or support used to position a single instrument, or an array of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments, in position to be played by a musician.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A variety of percussion musical instrument stands or supports are known in the prior art Examples of relevant prior art may be seen in Walberg U.S. Pat. No. 1,837,637; Kjelstrom U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,115; Cohen U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,363; Gauger U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,047; Streit U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,007; and Willis U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,414.
Walberg U.S. Pat. No. 1,837,637 teaches a stand for holding a snare drum which is foldable into a small compass for transportation and in which the arms of the stand can be brought into position parallel with the vertical standard by which it is supported. This device offers an effective means for gripping the sides of the drum without marring it, and includes an adjustment by which the device could be readily changed to adapt it to hold drums of different sizes.
Kjelstrom U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,115 discloses a relatively light drum set mounted on a collapsible support structure that permits the drum set to be dismantled into relatively small pieces for transportation and storage. A stanchion extending upward from a collapsible base structure carries at its upper end a support head which in itself is a percussion instrument, and an array of drums is adjustably and removably mounted on this upper support head.
Cohen U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,363 teaches a kit which is particularly useful for mounting percussion instruments to a stand. The kit includes a plurality of mounting bars each formed with a plurality of apertures, and a plurality of like rods attachable to the bars for supporting various percussion instruments.
Gauger U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,047 discloses a stand for mounting floor drums which consists of an arcuate member having inwardly directed flanges which have apertures therein for mounting to the lugs of the drum between the castings and the rim. Vibration-absorbing grommets are provided in the flanges in order to provide a resilient support and isolate the stand from the vibration of the drum. Brackets are provided at diametrically opposite parts of the arcuate member for clamping leg members. The stand may be adjusted for both angular and vertical position relative to the leg members.
Streit U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,007 teaches a percussion instrument carrier particularly adapted for marching. The instrument carrier comprises a rigid frame having a pair of spaced-apart hook members for contacting the shoulder blades of the marcher, an integral rear support portion adapted to rest upon the back of the marcher, a pair of forwardly-projecting, spaced-apart arm members for securing the percussion instrument in a playing position, and means for coupling the arm members to the supportive frame at a height convenient to the marcher.
Willis U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,414 discloses a multiple drum support assembly containing several supports for positioning drums and cymbals in playing position, the support being attached to a bass drum or a pair of bass drums. The support can be folded into a storage or travel position wherein all auxiliary drum supports are parallel to each other.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a marching percussion instrument stand which has a new and useful improvement for mounting percussion instruments to a stand by a musician-member of a marching band. The device includes a plurality of vertical mounting bars, supported by, and attached in an offset position above horizontally disposed support bars or feet. The vertical mounting bars are attached in an x-shape and carry supporting tubes each of which, in turn, support with the assistance of set-screws, solid, cylindrical rods for mounting a variety of percussion instruments. In one embodiment, the device is used in combination with a conventional dual arm vest carrier for supporting a plurality of drums. In another embodiment, the device is used to support a single marching snare drum The utility of the device is illustrated in the fact that it can further be used to support any size bass drum in a vertical or angled playing position The foregoing elements may be assembled in such a manner as to provide placement in a wide variety of adjustments for width, height and angle.